He was born in Mérida (Badajoz) in 1937, and brought up in Tomelloso (Ciudad Real). He started out as a flamenco guitarist, but soon abandoned the guitar for literature. His collected works have received various major awards: the Adonáis Poetry Award in 1963 for 'Las piedras', the Casa de las Américas Award in 1967 and the National Poetry Prize for 'Las rubáiyátas de Horacio Martín', among others. In addition to being a prestigious poet, he is also a well-known flamencologist. He has written various studies on the great figures of flamenco such as Paco de Lucía and Camarón, and received the National Flamencology Award for his work 'Memoria del flamenco' (1979). His poetic work has evolved from his early influences from Machado, towards a style which is more concerned with language, and where eroticism plays an important role. He died in Madrid in 2014.

Awards

Adonáis Poetry Award
Eugenio d'Ors Award
Casa de las Américas Award (Cuba)
National Poetry Prize
Barcarola International Poetry Award
Felipe Trigo short story prize
Extremadura Prize for the Best Literary Work by an Author from Extremadura
National Spanish Literature Award

Essential works

Las rubáiyatas de Horacio Martín

An original invention by this poet, narrator and literary critic, specialising in flamenco music, Félix Grande, which earned him the National Literature Award.